diet issues

[pmoreno]

It has been very frustrating that the school does nothing to support me in this. It's a nut free school that won't allow any tree nut products inside its doors, but yet, they don't seem to care about any other special considerations. My daughter seems to react to chocolate (especially chocolate milk) and I have asked many times that she not be given this at lunch time, but she always seems to get it and then she'll complain of her stomach hurting when she gets home. She doesn't even have the ability to ask for juice instead of chocolate milk (which the server in the cafeteria has said she could do). I have sent her lunch along with her many times, but she always comes home with it uneaten and apparently just follows all the other kids up to the cafeteria line.

 

I'm thinking I may have to start going to school with her to bring her her lunch and sit with her while she eats it. This isn't always convenient for me and the school already thinks I'm way over the top with my talk about IVIG and such. Don't know if I have much choice if I want her to eat healthy. I know that some parents who put their kids on a GF/CF diet say that even a little non-compliance can cause problems in their behavior. I am very careful about what I give her at home, but the school lunches - well, I know that I would have trouble getting them down- and to think that she eats that every day. (full of preservatives, artificial colors, sweeteners & additives).

 

One thing that I am doing in the morning is making a smoothie in the blender and I add everything that would make up a whole meal which I hope is giving her a little nutritional support. I've heard that broccoli is supposed to be the most nutritious vegetable out there and avocado is really good too (broccoli loses a lot when cooked - and she won't eat avocados because of the texture), so I just throw some florets of broccoli and half an avocado in the blender along with a few spinach leaves, pineapple, pear (or apple), goat yogurt (easier to digest), Kagome juice (from Whole foods - it has beet juice, purple carrot & reg. carrot and a number of other fruits and vegetables - no added sugar), a very ripe banana for added sweetness and a teaspoon of chlorella and one of spirulina (they have a high amount of digestable protein). It's green and tasty. She loves it and will usually ask for another big glassful after she drinks the first one. Before this she would frequently complain of stomach aches after she ate or drank (and I used to think it was because she ate or drank too much - but it must have been what she was eating and drinking and not how much). Pat

[Indigo]

My dd reacts to chocolate milk as well! Even organic, corn syrup free chocolate milk! She really enjoys the Horizon organic Vanilla milk, though, with no behavior issues. That's what we get for the kids at Starbucks. We are gluten free because we get physically sick with gluten ( our whole family) but I haven't seen gluten affect behavior here, although I know in others that it can cause raging and whining.

[pmoreno]

My dd reacts to chocolate milk as well! Even organic, corn syrup free chocolate milk! She really enjoys the Horizon organic Vanilla milk, though, with no behavior issues. That's what we get for the kids at Starbucks. We are gluten free because we get physically sick with gluten ( our whole family) but I haven't seen gluten affect behavior here, although I know in others that it can cause raging and whining.

 

Actually, I'm trying to cut down on gluten and casein, not so much because of any raging issues (she's usually fairly calm for the most part).However, apparently with kids who have a dysfunctional immune system, the large peptides that result from these foods can pass through the gut - called leaky gut syndrome and as long as the gut is inflamed, the immune system stays stirred up. For this reason, some people recommend that you try to stay on some form of GF/CF diet (even if a modified version) for about a year. Then you can introduce foods back slowly and it will have given the immune system time to settle down. It should be helpful to anyone suffering from autoimmune issues - whether its PANDAS, autism, etc... Pat

[Pudgeo]

Hi, We actually started to bring my son home from school for lunch. I know everyone cannot do this...but my son was never eating his lunch and so we went to see what was going on and it was complete chaos in there. I don't know how anyone can eat in that enviroment. Long story....My son is off dairy and this week I slipped and let him have lasagna with real cheese..and he is soooo spacey..I also give him enzymes before he eats..Sarah

[pmoreno]

Hi, We actually started to bring my son home from school for lunch. I know everyone cannot do this...but my son was never eating his lunch and so we went to see what was going on and it was complete chaos in there. I don't know how anyone can eat in that enviroment. Long story....My son is off dairy and this week I slipped and let him have lasagna with real cheese..and he is soooo spacey..I also give him enzymes before he eats..Sarah

 

 

How long has he been off dairy? And when you slip and let him have something not on his diet - how long does it take to get him calmed down again? By the way, I've head that if you give fresh pineapple with meals you don't have to give enzymes, because the pineapple has natural enzymatic properties. What I'm worried about is if I get her GF/CF for a period of time and she gets used to that - then when she ends up eating something that's off - does she react worse to it than if we'd never started this in the first place? I just fret a little about being a slave to a certain diet or meds. Pat

[ilovedogs]

My dd reacts to chocolate milk as well! Even organic, corn syrup free chocolate milk! She really enjoys the Horizon organic Vanilla milk, though, with no behavior issues. That's what we get for the kids at Starbucks. We are gluten free because we get physically sick with gluten ( our whole family) but I haven't seen gluten affect behavior here, although I know in others that it can cause raging and whining.

My son reacts to most chocolate milk. But, I tried giving him the chocolate rice dream milk and he seems fine with this! I use the milk to mix with his Kidz superfoods(from Amazing Grass) and to put his glycine in it. He loves it and I have to admit the extra chocolate from the rice drink makes it even tastier.

 

Is there anyway you can send her to school with a chocolate soy milk or rice milk? Or try it out at home and see if she reacts? I know that the Silk soymilk now makes serving size containers that you can bring to school, etc. Maybe it's the combination of milk with the high fructose corn syrup, and chocolate all together?

[faith]

I think you might just have to instill in the child that they just cannot drink chocolate milk (or whatever they are not supposed to have) even if they are given it. My son also does not eat a decent lunch, no matter what I was sending, he was throwing it away because it "smelled" or whatever, or he doesn't like it wrapped in aluminin, etc. ... so basically I just send him with whatever snacks he'll eat like potato chips, pita chips, pretzels, and a bottle of water. Then as soon as he gets home I give him a meal like he would have if he was home, (mashed potatos, home made chicken nuggets, hamburger, etc.) I know it is not good for him to not eat his lunch, (he will only eat the chicken nuggets hot lunch at school, but I only let him once a week and he's only allowed to drink water, even tho the lunch comes with juice), but he eats a regular breakfast, and hopefully some of his snack and then he'll get food as soon as he comes home. It's the best I can do, since he is a real pain about anything I send. He's also a slow eater, rather talk than eat, so its a losing battle no matter what.

 

I think you can forget about hoping the school will adhere to your restrictions, there's just too many kids and probably not always the same helpers. Don't know how old your girl is, but try to instill it in them as much as possible what they can't have and try to send water or money for water if you can. We can't be with them all the time, even when they are at a friends house, so eventually they'll have to know at least the basics of what they shouldn't have. Hard, I know, but try at least the basics for now.

 

Faith

[peglem]

Most schools have a policy that milk must be served to the children unless they have a note from the doctor. They don't have to drink it, but they have to take it. I don't know where this comes from, but I suspect dairy counsel lobbyists had something to do with it.

 

On the other hand, if you do have a doctor's note, they had better make sure they follow it.